Enhanced features was just one of the original reasons many individuals decided to purchase and run Windows XP. These features were offered to the end user as an incentive to switch from Windows 2000 or Windows ME.

In order to make Windows work for as many users as possible, most of the features of the operating system are enabled by default. This way, if someone wanted the feature, they could simply use it without worrying about installing it separately.

The downside to this strategy is users forget to uninstall many Windows XP features they have no interest in. Microsoft even intentionally went out of their way to build in an uninstallation suite for these packages.

Uninstalling Windows XP features will free up resources, disk usage and disk space. If high performance features are uninstalled, even more benefit can be gained, but of course you will lose those features in the process.

For this reason, it is best to approach each feature with the ultimate goal of the end user experiencing exactly what they wish to experience. If there is a chance the user will want a feature, it is best to leave it installed. If you are confident a user will never use a feature, then removing it will allow for improved performance.

Abstract:

Uninstalling unused Windows XP features removed many integrated aspects of the operating system that go unused by most users. These features should be looked at one at a time and removed with the ultimate goal of balancing user experience with system performance. The less features Windows has installed, the better it will perform.

About This Episode:

In this video, I cover how to ununstall unused Windows XP features.

How To Uninstall Unused Windows XP Features:

1. Select the Windows XP ‘Start Button’.

2. Select the ‘Control Panel’.

3. Select ‘Add or Remove Programs’.

4. Select the ‘Add Or Remove Windows Components’ section on the left hand side.

5. Go through each item on the list individually and ‘Uncheck’ any features you wish to uninstall, for feature information choose ‘Details…’.

7. If you are unsure about a feature, go to ‘Google’ and type ‘Should I Uninstall [program name]’.

8. If you find the ‘Feature’ to be useless, simply ‘Uncheck’ the item.

9. Once you have unchecked all features, select the ‘Next’ button.

10. If prompted to ‘Restart’, do so.

Conclusion:

If you cannot find any information on the feature you are trying to uninstall through Google, you may just want to leave it alone. It is usually better to be safe than sorry. Uninstalling unused Windows XP features typically only needs done once per installation or large update ensure ideal operating system health.